Worth the Fight
by Jinxed4Ever
Summary: Ari was forced into the Resistance. It wasn't a fight she wanted to have but was born into. An attack on her base and the death of her friends makes the fight personal and she will stop at nothing to get her revenge. It takes her from lowest ranks of the Resistance to the highest ranking officials of the First Order. Eventually she meets a childhood friend long thought dead ...
1. Chapter 1

The instrumentation was going crazy in front of her.

"Arianna," she could hear the squadron leader over her headphones. "Punch out, now!"

Ari couldn't think about any of that at the moment. She almost had the TIE fighters in her sights. The screen in front of her lit up red, she almost had him …

"Ari, what are you _doing_?" She heard Affa over her headphones, his husky voice rumbled over the headphones.

Ari noticed it too. Her cockpit was on fire, the instrumentation was going crazy the alarms were blaring loudly. She's never seen it so bad. She had felt the hit to her ship but didn't register it. She was much too busy taking out TIE fighters to notice the critical hit to her small ship.

"Ari," her squadron leader squawked again. "Eject now!"

She had been so focused on the small screen that she didn't notice the top of the trees blazing past her.

She was losing altitude.

But she's almost got him.

The screen lit up green and Arianna pressed down the button to release the blasters.

The TIE fighter in front of her lit up in a blaze.

Without a second thought Arianna's hands flew to the Eject lever and she pulled with all her strength.

She catapulted to the air and out of her ship just in time. She watched the ship grow small beneath her then finally explode.

Arianna breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the parachute deployed. "That was close." She graciously glided to the trees below watching the battle go on around her. The fighters sped by, chasing the TIE fighters, their blasters whizzing around her.

They seemed to be holding their own in the sunset in a glorious blaze. How had the First Order found the base? There was little time to scramble the necessary forces, but they did.

It was only a matter of time before they called for more reinforcements.

She tumbled when her feet touched the ground with a loud "Umph!" She took off the restraints of the chute and felt for the blaster at her side. She pulled it from the holster on her leg and ran forward. She took her helmet off her head, throwing it to the side.

Which way was the base? She huffed towards the general direction of the fighting, hoping she was going to the right place.

She could hear screaming up ahead, the sounds of battle were getting louder.

Suddenly, an explosion went off next to her. She felt it deep in her core, she could do nothing as the force of the explosion flung her deeper into the forest, further into battle.

She was tossed like a rag doll, any training that she had before, of no use. She landed on the harsh ground, pain exploding through her back.

Arianna looked up at the darkening sky, feeling every cell in her body ache.

" _The First Order has found the base," a Sergeant yelled to the team. "we're under attack!"_

 _She remembered this. This was right before this fight. The groans of the old base were familiar noises to her._

 _Affa looked at her then, smiling the smile reaching the crinkles on the sides of his eyes. "Off to battle we go!"_

 _Arianna rolled her eyes. "You live for this, don't you?" She hid her trembling hands by picking up her helmet. She never liked to be fighting._

 _Affa only laughed, wrapping the red handkerchief around his arm like he always did. "You get used to this."_

 _The scene suddenly changed._

 _She chased the young boy down the field, her small stubby legs made her stumble slightly while she tried to keep up with him. "Wait," she cried. "You're running too fast!"_

 _The boy laughed, his dark locks bounding in the sunlight. "You're too slow! You're no match for me!"_

 _She huffed as she continued to chase him. Her small six-year-old legs were no match for his. He may be twelve but he was much taller than other boys his age._

 _He yelled over his shoulder. "Slowpoke!"_

 _Arianna caught her foot on an uprooted branch, sending her spiraling to the ground. She fell forward, tumbling and landing on her back. She immediately started to cry._

" _Arianna!"_

 _She could hear the worried tones in the adult's voices._

 _The boy's face came into her field of vision, blocking the sun and giving him a frizzy aura. His hand reached out to her to help her up._

" _Don't worry, Arianna," the boy's giddy voice said. "I'm always here for you."_

"… _always here for you…"_

"… _always here for you …"_

Arianna coughed the soot out of her lungs, gasping she reached for her blaster. She hadn't thought of that memory in so many years. She had pushed it down so far within her, she was surprised it still existed somewhere in her mind.

Everything within her hurt. Why?

That's right, she thought, there was an explosion next to me.

Slowly her hearing returned, the sound of the fight was gone. Was it over already? Was she out of it for that long? And her friends …

She got up quickly and looked around her. It was night time but there was a yellow glow not too far from her.

A crash site, she presumed.

No, it was the base.

Ari ran towards the fire. _No, no, no, no._

She could see the First Order's ships leaving in the dark sky. Did they beat the Resistance?

She slowed her pace as she reached the base. She could make out figures out on the base under the false light of the lamps. There were Stormtroopers with their blasters. Then she saw what she had feared would happen. Resistance fighters on their knees hands behind their heads.

Ari dropped to the floor and crawled along the forest floor, out of view, praying not to be seen. She observed the troops from behind a large fallen trunk, doing her best to keep her breath quiet.

What could she do to help her friends?

She looked to her hand. One blaster. She couldn't do anything against that many storm troopers. Her heart beat erratically. What could she do?

A figure emerged from the smoke and ash different from all the rest. His steps were heavy and the ground beneath him shook with every step. His black cloak covered every inch of him and beneath the hood, Ari noted a hint of metal.

One of the troopers approached him and exchanged words with their leader.

Ari strained to hear but could hear nothing.

After the exchange the trooper turned to the others who raised their weapons against the Resistance soldiers.

Ari watched as one by one the soldiers fell to the floor. Unfeeling, frozen, she couldn't think – feel what was happening. She couldn't believe it.

Then slowly, she felt her heat break in two when she realized what one of the fallen men was wearing. A red scarf billowed in the wind.

She gasped softly, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek.

Affa. Dear Affa. Was dead.

The dark cloaked figure turned her way and suddenly she could see what the metal was under the cloak.

A mask. A horrifying mask with silver eyes but nothing else.

And he was looking right at her.

Rage built up in her. Rage like she had never felt before in her life.

She held her blaster tighter to herself.

A hand reached out behind her and pulled her back to the ground.

She looked to the figure holding her. With his other hand he signaled her to be quiet with a finger to his lips.

She recognized him, the dark skin, the friendly eyes. _Jay._

She hugged him fiercely, a Resistance fighter.

He motioned for her to stay low and follow him.

She did just that until she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

"Ari, run!"

Ari bolted as fast as her legs could carry her, her arms pumping at her sides, ducking in and out of the trees, trying her best to become a moving target.

"Keep running," Jay huffed loudly. "Don't look back!"

Ari focused on the lights in front of her, instantly recognizing it as Jay's starfighter.

She could hear Jay behind her, running as fast as he could. Behind him, she heard thunderous footsteps. Somehow, the stormtroopers had heard them in the woods and were now chasing them with full force.

A blaster hit a tree next to her.

"Ah!" She covered her head with her arms as the splintered wood rained around her.

She jumped over roots, branches and bushes, not letting anything slow her down.

She heard Jay's blaster shriek behind her towards the troopers. He shouted curses as he, too, jumped over the obstacles.

She breathed a sigh of relief, the full fighter was in view. _Almost there._

Suddenly, she couldn't hear Jay's steps behind her anymore.

Quickly, she turned and found that he was no longer running but still, very still. In mid-run. Almost as if he had been frozen as he ran.

His face was frozen in fear, his blaster arm wrapped around him, almost as if he was trying to be disarmed.

"Jay!" She gasped, running to him. "What's going on?"

She saw the man again in the cloak walking ever closer. Now that she could see him better, she noticed how menacing he really was.

Unlike the troopers, he wore an actual black cloak, not white plastoid, which billowed as he walked. Not an inch of him seemed human, he oozed a menacing aura, which made Ari's skin crawl. His mask was the most menacing of all. While not silver eyes like she had previously thought, the silver lines were around the eyes. His actual eyes were as black as the night around him.

His black-gloved hand was outstretched toward Jay, as if he was the one that was stopping him mid-run.

Breathing heavily, she picked up her blaster and pointed it towards him. "Let him – "

She was pulled away from Jay by an invisible force. She had never felt such force before.

She landed a few feet away, her blaster still in her hand.

She scrambled to her feet and pointed the blaster at him again.

Just as she was going to pull the trigger, she was pulled again, this time by her stomach, backwards even further. She flew backward but was able to see a blaster barely missed her where she previously stood.

She fell on her back again and pain exploded through her. She screamed out.

She hadn't felt pain like that in so long. She felt like she was about to black out.

How easy it would be then to give in to the darkness slowly enveloping.

She pulled herself up, the pain excruciating. _No._ She couldn't do anything for Affa, but she definitely could for Jay.

She crawled closer to Jay, pointing her blaster.

The man was closer to Jay than before, Ari lifted her small blaster towards the hooded figure. "Hey, nerf-herder!"

Before he turned, she pulled the trigger. The red beam of light from her blaster lit up around her and she definitely saw the man fall.

Jay was released immediately and he continued running, almost like he was never frozen to begin with.

Jay scoffed as he picked her up from the forest floor.

She screamed out in pain as he lifted her into his arm. "Arianna Ellan you are one of the _stupidest_ fighters I've ever met."

Ari groaned as she lifted herself to be able to look over his shoulder. "Shut up and run!"

She shot her blaster in the direction of the oncoming troops.

Jay ran awkwardly to the ship but they eventually made it.

He hopped into the pilot's seat and punched the dials, closing the entrance to the ship.

The blasters hit the hull of the ship creating deep echoing noise in the empty ship.

Jay laughed. "Just a walk in the park." And they were out into the atmosphere.


	2. Chapter 2

Ari never felt so alone.

In the bunker where she was currently staying at she felt like a stranger. Her entire team except Jay had been slaughtered. She had no one else.

Affa. She thought of him constantly.

The full cheeks, the big hands, his even bigger hugs.

Ari sobbed again.

This was the only time she had for herself since the attack weeks ago. When she was surrounded by people all she wanted to do was be alone and now that she was …

She hated it. She hated the silence. It was why Affa complimented her so well. He never stayed quiet. Often times in the middle of the night she would reach out to him in her bed then begin to cry when she couldn't find him.

From the very beginning he was the reason she stayed for so long.

This fight was never hers. She was born into it, molded for it. She had been trained since infancy to become a Resistance Fighter. She barely remembered a time when she was a care-free child. All her time was calculated, scheduled, used in the most efficient way to become a fighter pilot and soon lead a squadron of her own.

But it wasn't ever anything she ever wanted. She saw what it did to her family. She could almost remember them if she concentrated hard enough. They had abandoned her so early she couldn't even remember the sound of her mother's voice.

The Cause had been more important. More important than her. So she was left to fend for herself moving from base to base making new friends until eventually they separated on different assignments again.

She hated it, this was never a fight she wanted, nor was it one that she wanted to be a part of.

But Ari knew nothing else.

What would she do if she went to the new Republic? How would she blend in?

She was about to find out.

She looked at the pill bottle next to her, hating it. She had become addicted to it. Addicted to the numbness it brought, the relief she felt for the small amount of time it was in her system.

 _"You're lucky you're walking," the medic told her when he first saw the injuries on her back._

 _She was lying on her stomach on the med bed, flinching when he touched her bare back._

 _He was watching the images taken of her back against the light. She could see the bones there but wasn't sure what he was talking about. They looked perfectly fine to her._

 _But the pain, it had become so unbearable it was difficult to stand._

 _He placed a bottle of pills next to her. "Take these when you can't stand the pain. But you will need therapy for a while."_

And like that she had to take therapy three times a week. It was a large tank where she floated for about an hour.

There was a knock on her door. "Ari," the muffled voice said.

Ari wiped her nose on her sleeve. "What?" She cleared her throat. "What is it?"

"They want to debrief you."

"Again?" irritated, she strode over to the locked door, opening it, "How many times are they going to-"

Ari froze, she hadn't seen the woman in so long. The years hadn't been too kind on her. The last time she saw her she had been worry-free, happy but now …

Ari could tell that someone had been weighing heavy on her. The burden of the Resistance could be one of the factors. Everyone had relied on her for so long. But that couldn't be it either. The woman had been cut from a different stone than the average person, she had been bred and raised for greatness. The burden of being one of the leaders of the Resistance was not what was weighing her down.

It was something else, something personal.

Of course, she knew what it was. Her only son, Ben, had been killed as a teenager in a massacre led by the First Order. She heard the news, it had spread far and wide throughout the Resistance when it happened.

How she wanted to be there for her. After all, she was the only mother figure she knew in her life. She had taken her into her family when she had been abandoned when she was little.

"Leia," she hugged the older woman gingerly.

She hugged her too. "Arianna, it's been too long."

Ari pulled back. "Why are you here?"

She sighed. "I heard what happened at Mandoo base. I wanted to hear what happened from you myself." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I also wanted to be here for you. Being the sole survivor of an attack is not an easy burden to bear."

Ari nodded softly, holding back the lump in her throat that stung her throat.

"Thank you," Ari wasn't sure she said it, words couldn't come out when she tried to speak it.

Jay spoke up, "She won't admit it, General, but Kylo Ren saved her."

Ari looked at him confused. "Who?"

"The man in the mask."

Ari felt anger bubble up. "That _thing_ didn't save me. He only got to me before the blaster did. I didn't get out unscathed." She felt a familiar pain in her back, she needed to take her painkillers soon.

Leia tightened the grip on her shoulder. "Ari, I must know what happened, don't leave a detail out."

It was the first thing Leia had done once Ari had been let into the home. She made her some tea, set an oversized mug in front of her and watched Ari as she stared dazed into the steaming mug. This time twenty years had passed since the first it occurred. Ari was no longer six, Leila no longer just a mother and there were no young eyes peering through the door frame trying to catch a glimpse of the small girl.

So much had changed.

Now instead of a small house, she was in a Resistance base in a small room they had to themselves. Ari no longer spoke to a princess of a destroyed world, she spoke to the general of a large resistance.

Ari tapped her long nails on the mug, a nervous gesture she did as she spoke. "And I blacked out. I don't know for how long but after that blast, all I can remember is blackness, no sound but the ringing in my ears. I don't know how much time passed but I knew I had to get back to the base." Ari took a shaky breath. "I made it back eventually and I hid in the bushes with my blaster. I then saw the troopers take everyone out, made them get on their knees."

Ari shook her head. "I don't know what they were after, I don't. Whatever it was –is- they didn't get it. One of them approached another man. Or a droid, I don't know. He was in all black, his face- he had a mask. He seemed human but didn't."

Thinking about the mask again, gave her the chills. She rubbed her arms.

"He didn't seem human to me. He was more mechanical, calculated in his movements. I can't describe it. He was definitely leading the ambush, I could tell that much."

Ari paused.

Jay out a hand on hers. "It's okay, tell her."

"He gave the order." She said after a long time. "They killed them all."

Leia reached out and held Ari's hand.

"Jay found me, I don't know how he did and we ran to his ship." Ari sighed. "They must have heard, or saw because the next thing I know, they're chasing us. All of them into the trees."

When she couldn't continue, jay spoke up. "Kylo Ren held me at my spot, I couldn't move. I only did when Ari distracted him long enough to hit him with the blaster. He could be dead."

Leia shook her head. "That is very unlikely."

"He had such power," they both turned towards Ari. She had been staring at the First Aid kit in the corner, transfixed. "Like nothing I've ever seen. He waved his hand and pushed me around like a rag doll, I've never seen anyone ever do that."

Ari saw the briefest of exchanges between Leia and Jay.

"What?" Ari asked, "What is it?"

Jay pulled an envelope from his back pocket. "Here, General." He handed it to Leia.

Leia looked at the envelope briefly before putting her full attention to Ari. "I want you to understand -there is a mission. It's dangerous-"

Ari didn't hesitate. She immediately wanted it. Though she never felt a connection to the Resistance or its cause before, she felt it now. She felt it and was connected to it from the moment that she saw Affa go down with the rest of the soldiers.

"Yes, I accept."

Leia sighed. "You didn't let me finish."

Ari shook her head. "With respect, General, I don't need to know the mission. I accept."

Leia shook her head. "You don't know what we're asking."

Ari stood mustering all the courage left in her. "General, I just saw my lover killed in front of my eyes. All of my friends were either shot down from the sky or killed on their knees." She put her hand down forcefully on the envelope on the table between Leia's hands. "I _need_ this. I have been training all my life for this mission." Then she whispered, barely enough for them to hear. "I have nothing left to lose, General."


	3. Chapter 3

Ari took one of the pills in her hand and tossed it into her mouth. Grabbing some water she washed it down quickly.

She had her pills refilled for her mission previously but she knew it wasn't enough.

She had lied to both her doctor and Jay, telling them that her back was better and healing. In reality, it wasn't healing as fast as she would like and it was starting to impair the way she fought. Ari knew that now she would have to rely more heavily on her blaster rather than hand to hand combat.

She was a decent shot at least, she assured herself.

When she saw that the pills weren't enough, she snuck in later when there was no one at the medic center and stole a bigger stash.

It was only a matter of time before anyone found out but she was hoping she'd be off on her mission by then.

It was the only way she could function, the only way she could conceivably carry about her day.

Quickly putting the pills in her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and made her way to the hangar. It had been a couple of days since she had last seen the General and finally the day had arrived.

During that time, she had train as much as she possibly could, studied the papers on the mission as much as she possibly could.

" _Your name is Zarya, your sister calls you 'Z'," Jay had said before._

 _Ari nodded._

 _"You and your sister were orphaned, your sister made her way to Coruscant where she made a life for herself. She is finally flying you in because she raised enough money to bring you in."Jay tossed a picture in front of her._

 _The picture was of a girl a little older than Ari. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was dark brown and flat with not much body. She was dressed in heavy material and dark colors._

 _"She's one of the handmaidens for one of the Queens of the new Republic. She gave us enough information to try and infiltrate negotiations between the Queen and the First Order."_

 _Ari opened her mouth._

 _"We granted her asylum for the information and she will be transferred to safety after you arrive. You will take her place as her sister. She told the Queen she wasn't feeling well." Jay twirled a knife in his hand. "Of course, that's just the cover. Your real mission: find the First Order's next move."_

 _Ari had nodded._

 _"They are moving fast, we think they are on the verge of finding something important . But we don't know what it is. Find out what it is."_

After learning of her origins and being given the forged paperwork, Ari learned as much as she could as fast as he could. She also brushed up on her blaster and fighting skills. Every day she took more painkillers but she had a handle on it.

She counted the pills she took, cut herself off, was weaning herself off. She was no longer in a fog; it didn't feel like she was walking in quicksand anymore.

She had a handle on it; it did not control her.

The pain did not control her either.

"Ari!" She heard someone call from one of the X-wings out in the hangar. She squinted against the harsh sun. When was the last time she went outside?

The man had been talking to one of pilots dressed as if he were going on a mission. She recognized the orange suit and helmet.

The man that ran toward her, however, she did not recognize. He was dressed in a black Uniform she did not recognize either. It looked Imperial, regal almost. Was he with the First Order?

How did he know her? She instantly became distrusting.

Ari drew her blaster. "Who are you?"

He threw his hands up, chuckling. "Sorry. I didn't know you would react this way."

Ari scoffed. "What did you expect?" She put her finger on the trigger. "Who are you?" She asked again.

The man visibly stiffened. "Whoa, I didn't sign up to be with a crazy bitch."

Ari squeezed the trigger. She suddenly felt someone's arm push her own arm up as the blaster shot off. She missed completely and shot towards the sky instead.

She turned towards the person and her heart dropped. She realized she did something incredibly wrong.

"Ariana, stand down!" She had never seen Jay so furious. "This is Cas, another Resistance fighter!" Jay had pushed her blaster away at the last minute so she would miss the man.

Ari immediately dropped her blaster. What was she thinking? Of course, he couldn't be the enemy, he made it past their security, was on the base, in the hangar, talking with a pilot!

Immediately, Ari was without words. "I-I-"

Cas crossed his large arms. "She was testing me," he chuckled, picking up the blaster, he handed it to her. "Seems like I failed." Was almost being shot at something he handled often? He seemed to brush the entire incident off.

Ari reached for the weapon, never taking her eyes off his ember orbs. His perfect teeth seemed to gleam, a sharp contrast to his dark skin.

She watched him as she holstered the blaster. He was much taller than her, was bigger built ham the average fightert, she could see it in the way the uniform pressed tightly across the chest and arms.

"Security?" She asked Jay.

Jay pressed down his disheveled hair. He must have been running fast to get to her. "Yes," he said out of breath. " _Your_ security."

At any other time, she would have laughed it off, said she didn't need it but after what just happened …

"Zarya's security, actually." Cas then cleared his throat. "For the sake of pretenses."

Ari shook her head. "Since when do handmaidens need security?"

"They don't, decoys of the queen, however, do."

Ari turned to Jay. " _What?_ I'm supposed to be a decoy too?"

Jay sighed. "The General didn't tell me that either. It was the only way the Queen would allow a last minute change of her handmaidens on a diplomatic mission."

Makes sense, Ari thought. "If that's what gets us in."

Cas smiled. "Good girl."

Ari turned towards Cas. "Say that again and Jay will not be fast enough to save you, do you understand?"

Cas gave a hearty, loud laugh. "We may just get along, Your Majesty." He grabbed the bag off her shoulder and giving a mocking bow, he said, "Follow me to your carriage."

He turned quickly and with a click of his heel, he made his way to one of the ships. She recognized it, it was one they used for undercover missions to Coruscant.

Ari took a deep breath and followed.

"Good luck,," she heard Jay said.

The ship was big enough for an entire landing party, maybe twelve. There were private rooms, she could stay in too. The pilot that was going to fly them there was already in the cockpit, punching into the instrumentation everything he needed to.

Cas waited for her inside, standing next to one of the couches on the foyer of the ship. Her beat up, dirty black bag was a stark contrast on the rich red couch. It was how she felt, a battered, broken person in a situation she did not belong in.

Cas turned to the pilots, "We're ready."

The pilot nodded then closed the door that led to the cockpit.

She looked around the ship. It was spacious. She imagined that it had been used previously for small parties or a private ship for someone very rich or powerful. It looked to be in good shape despite it's age.

Suddenly, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Cas pushed her against one of the walls of the ship, pushing all his weight on her. He grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her. He spun her around so he would face her. Using his free hand, he put his forefinger and thumb on her cheek and eyelid.

"What are you on, huh?"

Ari tried to shift her weight but it was impossible. He was good, he had her pinned.

"Get off!" Ari screamed.

He patted her pants, searching her pockets, she thought. How did he know?

"Don't think I didn't notice," he huffed as he searched her. "My brother was high all the time. I know how that looks."

She lifted her leg and with all her force, kneed him in the groin.

She missed and instead, he pulled her arm and spun her around again, away from him. She took the opportunity to grab a weapon of her own. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

He searched her back pockets and she used all her strength to this time stomp on his toes, he yelled out. She threw her head back and collided with his own head. Screaming, he stepped back, finally giving her space.

No more than a second later, he began charging at her.

She lifted the small knife she grabbed before and placed it at his neck, stopping him immediately. "Step back, soldier!"

The anger she saw in his eyes could burn right through her but she didn't move, she wasn't scared of him.

"Are you endangering this mission?" He asked coldly.

"No," she matched his tone. "I would never do that."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he spat. "My brother was an addict too, he never thought he was screwing up, but he did."

His anger suddenly fizzled out. "Look, this is important."

Ari didn't move. "I know."

He shook his head, "No you don't."

Before she knew it, he was on his knees in front of her. He looked defeated, his head hung low. "This is my chance at Redemption. The First Order, they killed my wife." He looked at Ari right in her eyes. "This is my chance to get back at them, directly."

He couldn't be lying, he wouldn't be that vulnerable. It seemed they both had personal stakes in this.

Ari dropped he knife, it landed perfectly straight. "Don't worry Cas, we will make them pay for what they've done."


	4. Chapter 4

"You're too skinny, has anyone told you that?"

Ari didn't move, stayed perfectly still in front of her.

Along one side of the room was a long length of windows showing the city off in its glory. Ships zoomed past the buildings like Ari had never seen.

She was always in remote cities, far away from the First Order and where the Empire once stood.

Ari stayed especially away from Coruscant.

Until today, that is.

Ari cleared her throat. "No."

The Queen sighed. "Your sister never taught you proper etiquette in front of royals, did she?"

The Queen was around her age late teens to early twenties, healthy build, tall like her. When standing across from each other, Ari could meet her green eyes. She seemed fragile, nice almost. "You don't talk unless asked to."

Almost.

"But you just asked-"

"Tut-tut-tut," the Queen said disapprovingly. She turned to Cass, "To think that this girl covered in dirt will have to convince them she is me!"

Her tone suggested they knew each other for a while.

Ari looked over at Cass. His eyes were wide, _Just shut up,_ he seemed to say. She bowed her head low, "Apologies, Your Majesty."

Thank goodness for Cass, she thought. They had bonded over a common cause and now, he seemed to be the voice of reason between the two of them. He was more of her moral compass the way Affa had been before. She was grateful he was on the mission with her even if he didn't think the same of her.

"Your posture is perfect," she said once they were face to face again. She had been going around her, measuring up and down once she met her.

"You have your sister's eyes," she continued gleefully.

"Yes," she lied. "We took them after our mother."

The Queen nodded gracefully. "Our meeting is tomorrow, we will be on the same ship, however, I will be cleverly concealed behind you with the other girls. This is just in case the First Order tried to do something."

Suddenly, she turned. "I don't think they will do anything, it's just, you know, in case they want to kidnap me or torture me, something of the sort."

 _Real comfort, this one,_ Ari mused.

"You will dress in some of my finest garments. That should throw anyone off." She winked. "We can't be too careful now." She waved a hand in the direction of an older man. "You wouldn't have to do any talking, my representative will do it for you. We will switch after we have all been taken to our quarters." She turned to another man. "Correct, Captain?"

Another man in the room nodded. "Correct, my lady."

The Queen turned towards Ari, seemingly pleased with herself. She cleared her throat and with a wave of her hand said, "Leave us."

Ari hadn't seen people move so fast. A handmaiden that was there put down the gown Ari was going to try on. The men clicked their heels and turned. Everyone bowed their head and left the room.

 _Must be nice to have that kind of power_ , Ari thought.

"While I am very distressed that your sister is sick, her loss is my gain. I've never had a handmaiden that looked so similar to me. I wouldn't be able to pull this off without you."

Ari bowed her head slightly. "I'm glad, Your Majesty."

The Queen sighed. "Come." She waved her hand towards Ari, beckoning her to another room.

The room was beautifully decorated with more riches than she had ever seen.

"Help me brush my hair." She sat down gracefully in front of a vanity in the room, moving the layers of fabric she was wearing out of the way, holding a brush in her hand.

Ari walked over and started brushing the girl's long brown hair. She started placing creams on her face. "My nightly ritual," she told her. "Learn it well. I will want to keep you even after your sister has returned."

Ari wouldn't stay for that long but of course she wouldn't know that.

"Thank you," Ari bowed slightly again.

She was getting tired of doing it.

The woman tattled on and Ari immediately grew bored.

The constant brushing was boring too. She wouldn't be able to bear a life like this, how could anyone?

"You must know how important this mission is," the Queen continued. "With the First Order advancing as fast as they are, it would be wise of me to secure my safety before the ax falls on my planet."

Ari froze. "Your Majesty?"

She laughed. "You don't seriously think I wanted to be elected Queen for the good of my people? No, of course not. If anyone is saved, it's me. Then maybe you, I do need someone to be my double when I need protection." She laughed. "Now continue with my hair."

When she first met the Queen, she thought that while a little snobbish she was kind.

She now knew it was just a front for others. She was actually much worse than Ari's initial meeting.

In the end, it looked like she didn't care for anyone else but herself.

"Put these on her."

Currently, Ari was in the Queen's –Gem, she learned her name was – room, with all her handmaidens getting her ready to meet with the First Order. She handed one of the girls a pair of long gold earrings.

Though Gem had promised that she would not have to speak at all, she was still nervous. Her hands were shaking.

"You look wonderful!" She giggled. "Just like me in my regalia!"

When Ari looked at herself, she could hardly recognize herself. She wore thick paint on her face with intricate designs in blue on her cheeks leading from her eyes. Her eyes looked bigger, with black lines on her eyelids making them seem cat-like.

Her brown hair had different jewels in it, which make jingling sounds as she walked. Her clothes were heavy but looked elegant in the deep reds and blues, decorated with gold.

"Your Majesty," one of the men said. "We're ready."

Gem walked to Ari and placed her hands on her shoulders, giving her a small wink. "Let's get going then, Your Majesty."

Ari nodded, making her sound like a crystal chandelier.


End file.
